Floating into one of the most magical fjords of Europe for a captivating international diving championship.
May 5th, 2022. By Saveria Fiore, photo by Vito Fusco
Furore, the gorgeous little village once known as Terra Furoris, has hosted 32 editions of a diving competition that gathered athletes from all over (Spain, Portugal, the USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Bosnia, and Herzegovina,…). A sporting event that also celebrated the love towards nature in this beautiful framework and made it possible thanks to Marmeeting and its president Oreste Varese.
German trailblazers
To trace the origins of this fantastic sport, we had to dive back to Germany in 1811. Here, in a town called Halle, the salt miners who worked on steaming the water of the Saale River to extract the salt used to jump into pools of freshwater after work to clean themselves.
Soon enough, the adrenaline of jumping and floating in the air before coming into contact with water also reached other people. The gymnasts especially found this a significant wait to safely practice their routines without worrying about hurting themselves against the concrete.
Modern times
Nowadays, competitive diving has become an exquisite and complex sport. One of the most accessible dives is where a person holds himself/ herself with open arms, and this pose goes by different names in different parts of the world: swan dive in the USA, swallow dive in Sweden, and angel dive in Italy. It’s not a coincidence that one of the most celebrated Italian divers, Klaus Dibiasi, had the “Blue Angel” as his nickname.
A stage to fly
The picturesque village of Furore works as the perfect setting to host an international competitive diving tournament, being one of only two fjords in Europe (second only to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro) of fluvial origin.
Under the bridge, the sea gathers on the shore of the fishing village, which the ancient stairway or the sea can reach. Placed next to the rocky mountain hinge from Agerola and sculpted by the Schiato river, Furore is a place you shouldn’t miss.
Roberto Rossellini’s Amore
This place’s dreamy and magical atmosphere inspired the director Roberto Rossellini to film his movie “Amore” with Anna Magnani here in 1948. From the turbulent love story that the two shared, the only thing that remains is the two small fishermen’s houses they bought during that time (known here by the name of monazzeni). Alongside the rock coast surrounded by green vegetation, the sea’s echo vibrates, showing the soul of this place.
The competition
The athletes dive from a 28m dock surrounded by the sounds of the sea under them. It’s all about a few seconds marbleized in a unique moment of burning restlessness.
Everything is fleeting and sweet and looks like a wonder for those watching the magic take place, from the staircase that leads to the beach to the bridge over the main road and even for those sitting in boats in the sea. Dancing bodies, capable of reaching a speed of 100 km/h before colliding with the water, seem to jump out directly from a dream until the sea welcomes them in a muffled hiccup.
The USA winner
It is a competition where the succession of three acrobatic dives is awarded a score. In the last edition in 2018, the American Steven Lobue won with 319.10 points. “I had already participated in the Marmeeting seven times, but I never won higher than third place,” Lobue said, emotional. The diver had won a gold medal during the 2017 World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest.
In recent years, this diving event gathered the attention of more local enthusiasts and tourists, thanks to the local coverage and the necessary collaboration with Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
The harmony that draws attention
Adrenaline, sport, nature, and the magic only a place like this can offer, is the perfect mix to create harmony. A kind of balance that attracts anyone who crosses the Furore bridge at least once in their life. Because Furore, just like a bit of a kid tugging at a skirt, cannot help but draw attention.
(Translation by Michela Pandolfi)